Banana Pancakes and Belgian Chocolate
by Tha1n0nlYVoyGirl
Summary: Both B'Elanna and Naomi experiences a little trouble on the morning on Christmas Eve. Since they both are unhappy, perhaps they can help each other?


Title: Banana Pancakes and Belgian Chocolate (in Christmas Time)  
Author: Voy_Girl [frky_vg@kittymail.com]  
Code/s: Torres, Paris, Neelix, Naomi Wildman  
AN: A sweet sort of drama...   
Dedication: Everyone who've taken the time to review "Hue and Cry" so far.  
Written: 14-15/12 2002  
Summary: Two failed girls can cure each other. Set in Christmas time, season 6. The morning  
on Christmas Eve, to be correct.  
  
***  
  
Banana Pancakes and Belgian Chocolate (in Christmas Time)  
  
**  
  
\\ Early morning. She woke him up. Dragged him to the kitchen and explained the lot. \\  
  
*  
  
"Bake old-fashioned gingerbread hearts with you the whole morning!" Neelix exclaimed  
tiredly. "When did I promise you that?"  
  
"A year ago. Exact." Naomi pouted a little, already being able to discern where their  
conversation was heading.   
  
"Oh, I see." Neelix sighed and kneeled in a proposing position in front of his false niece. "I'm  
so sorry, Naomi. But I've already dearly and repeatedly promised Tom that I'd judge his little  
race on the holodeck. The contestants rely on me."  
  
"I too rely on you..." Naomi felt deserted, as well as humiliated and ashamed for acting like  
Neelix would have remembered. Her whole Christmas Eve fell apart, both in front of her eyes  
and inside of her.  
  
"It won't take long. I'll be back in time to make your hearts before noon!" Neelix tried to  
sound cheerful, but when he saw it did not help, he sighed again. "You can wait until noon.  
You're a big girl now." He patted her on the head and rose.  
  
"That's not what this is about," Naomi whispered at Neelix' back while entwining her fingers  
with her hair until it hurt. The Talaxian didn't hear her last words since he already was out of  
his positioned mess hall.  
  
*  
  
\\ Early morning. He forgot to tell. It is time to ring the warning bell.\\  
  
"Oh, come on! A little competing is good for the holiday spirit!"  
  
"So you're canceling our annual Christmas Eve breakfast?!" B'Elanna protested, eyes  
beaming.  
  
"Annual?! We've only had it once!" Her boyfriend tried to defend himself, massaging his left  
temple at the first tension of an impending headache.   
  
"And then we agreed on having it the same time every year if we weren't under attack!" Her  
eyes carried flames behind their glass-like surface.   
  
Tom began to feel crowded, like a threatened animal in a too little cage. Some times two were  
one too many.  
  
"It was probably the mulled and spiced wine making that promise," he tried.  
  
"Oh, the infamous alcoholic gets tipsy by half a cup?" B'Elanna teased angrily.  
  
"B'Elanna!" The headache had reached it's second phase, which made him groan involuntarily.   
"You know what, I got to go!" Tom ended their conversation and fled her quarters, one hand pressed to his  
forehead.  
  
B'Elanna rolled her tired eyes; a perfect roll. Those eyes had only an hour ago been filled with  
anticipation at least. Now they only reflected hunger and disappointment.   
She was sincerely tired of all Tom's little inventions.  
  
***  
  
B'Elanna arrived to the mess hall fairly early that morning. It was only around half past seven,  
so she expected everyone who could to sleep in.   
  
That was why she frowned with surprise when she saw young Naomi, of all people, sitting all  
alone by a table for four in the faintly illuminated hall.  
A big wad of her front hair was tousled into a fuzzy ball of unpleasantness. Naomi rested her  
head in her hands, and did not notice B'Elanna until she pulled out the chair directly in front of  
Naomi and carefully slipped down on it.  
  
After a moment of chared silence, B'Elanna spoke.  
"Why are you here all alone?" A given question.   
  
"Neelix promised me something, and then he just bluntly changed his mind." An unexpected  
answer.  
  
"Tell me about it," B'Elanna agreed and symphatized whit the child as well as she wanted to  
hear the story.  
  
"Instead of baking whit me, he chose to judge some stupid competition at the holodeck."  
  
"Blame Tom for that," B'Elanna snorted and shook her head.  
  
"He did the same to you, didn't he?" Naomi's eyes were bright and shining with enlightenment.  
  
The Chief Engineer marveled over Naomi's clear-sightedness. She could do nothing but agree  
and admit that Tom rather drove around in a tiny go-cart, or whatever they were called, than  
dining with her.   
"Apparently he'd dared a few of his pilots to race him. So now I'm here."  
  
"So, you don't have anyone to have breakfast with, and I don't have a partner for my  
gingerbread project..." Naomi let the sentence trail off, hoping for B'Elanna to pick up on it.  
Naomi glanced at the woman in front of her, a well-known sparkle coming to life in Naomi's  
growing eyes.  
  
B'Elanna understood what the child was trying to do, and she smiled. "I can not cook, even  
less bake. But I do know a friend who can give us a decent breakfast."   
She got up from her chair, suddenly filled with life.   
  
"A friend?" Naomi asked looking at B'Elanna over her shoulder. B'Elanna pointed at her  
[bekantskap} to present it.  
  
"Yes! Mr. Replicator!"  
  
They laughed. With each other. For each other. Together.  
  
B'Elanna gave the replicator her demands and while she turned away from their chosen table, a  
mood-raising surprise awaited her.  
  
A sole, white candle enthroned in the middle of the table, a grinning girl standing on the floor,  
next to it.   
  
"That's pretty, Naomi!" B'Elanna hadn't seen candles light of the mess otherwise than at  
parties and such. And she had never seen just one. She had to agree with herself once again; it  
was real pretty.  
  
"I know where Neelix keeps them," Naomi shrugged and positioned herself in the chair again.  
"This smells good!" She credited as a full plate and a steaming sup were placed before her.  
  
"This is banana pancakes," B'Elanna pointed at Naomi's plate with her fork. "A memory of my  
grandmother. And this," she motioned at the cups, " Is hot cocoa mad out of the finest Belgian  
chocolate."  
  
"And whipped cream!" Naomi added with awe.  
  
"The creamiest!"  
B'Elanna took a bite of her pancakes. A lovely smell spread through the hall. Naomi wished  
that, once again, all the air-conditioning could have its center in the mess.  
  
"This is so good!" She stated after following B'Elanna's example.  
  
"Only the best is good enough when you're going to pamper yourself!"  
  
*  
  
The two were laughing and talking about the crew, the Delta Quadrant, and life in general,  
forgetting more and more of their former dissatisfaction. They had both found a new, and  
slightly unexpected friend.   
  
When Naomi made a comment about the people that had let them down in Christmas time, it  
only provoked laughter. She licked a piece of whipped cream, which had become misplaced  
on her upper lip, away.  
"Neelix and Tom don't know what they're missing!"  
  
  
**  
  
End  
  
** 


End file.
